Tales of the BalanceKeeper: Planetouched One Half
by Freeloader1
Summary: Word of warning: There will be angst, there will be swearing, there will be graphical descriptions of violence, there will be death. You will be warned in the author's notes.
1. Prologue

Tales of the BalanceKeeper: Planetouched ½  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, places, etc., mentioned herein, the only exception being the character known as the BalanceKeeper (hey, it's my self-insertion! I'm allowed to own myself!). Ranma and associated are property of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
A/N: If you're familiar with Dungeons & Dragons, you might recognise some of the references. If you find any errors in that regard, the standard response will be this: "leave me alone! I do Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 3rd Edition, not 3.5! And besides, I don't have a handbook!". Ok? Ok? Good. To the fiction!  
  
' ' – thoughts (primary mind for BalanceKeeper)  
  
" " – words spoken in a language the BalanceKeeper can understand  
  
[ ] – thoughts from the BalanceKeeper's alternate minds  
  
PROLOGUE: Odd Arrival  
  
Ryoga was lost. 'Nothing new there' he thought to himself. 'Now let's see, I went north a bit....or was it south? Doesn't matter, I was headed for Furinkan High…and I passed that old lady with the water bucket....and then....', "AND THEN I FIND MYSELF OUT HERE!!"  
  
Birds and small animals scattered as Ryoga's shout broke the tranquillity of the small wooded area near Nerima. Even worse (for Ryoga) was that his intended destination was no more than a 15-minute walk away, provided he went in the right direction. Having worked out his frustrations, Ryoga pulled out his compass and other navigational equipment, and tried to figure out where to go next, the wooded area regaining the tranquil feel it had prior to Ryoga's outburst.  
  
The tranquillity was shattered again, but by a wholly different way: Ryoga looked up from his map (upside down, of course) in shock as a flat disc of bluish-white swirling light appeared in the center of the clearing. A pulse of emotion poured out of it, scattering animal and Ryoga alike (who wisely decided that for once, it would be better to appraise the situation, from a distance, before charging in) as it slowly widened. It grew until it was the size of a large human.   
  
Ryoga watched in amazement as someone actually stepped out of the light. The creature stumbled a bit, gained its footing, and was looking around at its new surroundings by the time the light faded. From his hiding spot, Ryoga was able to make out some details of this .... arrival.  
  
'Human, male. Early 20s. Tall....hmm, can't make any comparisons from this far away...' Ryoga thought as he continued his observation, 'brown hair....are those sunglasses he's wear-...' Ryoga's thoughts cut off as he abruptly fell unconscious.  
  
'Well, that wasn't too difficult' [Good, some privacy] ['Bout time] [Yeah, took long enough to realise he was there] 'Shut up! I was still getting over the planejump's effects' [Fine, fine]. The BalanceKeeper (or Chris, as he still called himself, despite having given up his name when he took his title) shook his head as his minds' internal chatter died down. 'Ok, time to do this properly'.  
  
First, he checked himself: Everything seemed alright – he was still wearing his grey, sleeveless gi, his grey cloak was still on, his shoes were still done up, and his sunnies were still on. Second, he checked his environment – wooded, slightly hilly, firm ground. Third, he checked his senses – the five mundane, and the three not-so-mundane. 'Hmm, air's good'. He smiled as he threw a few experimental punches and kicks 'Wow....gravity's a lot like the Prime Material'. Looking around, and noticing just how familiar the trees and animals that dared to approach were to him, he realised something 'Odd, this is almost exactly like the Prime Material'. Not to be deterred, he continued to check his surroundings like he'd been taught to – stretching out with his will, he searched for familiar minds, aware the whole time of how futile this method had been previously in tracking his quarry – it had, after all, had several lifetimes in order to learn how to shield its mind from this kind of probing. Finding none, he moved on, 'scanning', as his master had called it, with his Balance-sense. 'Nothing out of the ordinary....a few spikes here and there, but nothing that requires my attention' he thought with relief – it was good to be able to relax for once.  
  
Finally, he 'scanned' with his ki-sense, honed from constant training in the martial arts, and realised that perhaps he wouldn't be able to relax after all. 'Whoa....those are some strong signatures I'm picking up – this bears looking into'.  
  
He stopped, noticing something that _did_ require immediate attention. 'Ah damn....well, might as well see what kinda food they eat on this plane'. He stood up, intent on finding food, when he realised his attire may not be suitable. "Well, everything else is like the Prime, so might as well wear some of my Prime clothes." Concentrating intensely, he pulled out what was his usual outfit when he was a Prime-bound – dark jeans, olive-grey button-up shirt and heavy jacket. And, as it did whenever he tried this trick, they seemed to automatically appear on him. 'Never will get over that, but I'm still damn glad I put them in there before I got jumped off of the Prime' he thought as he closed the gap to the small extra-planar pocket. Standing up once more, and straightening his jacket as he did so, the BalanceKeeper started wandering off in Nerima's general direction.  
  
Ryoga chose this time to wander back to consciousness, just in time to notice one more detail about the odd stranger. "Hey, he's wearing basketball shoes....ugh, Ranma, this is all your fau-..". The shock of the recent events finally overwhelmed Ryoga, sending him back to blissful embrace of unconsciousness.  
  
A/N: Well, that's the first chapter. Please review – the reviews will decide if I continue with the next chapter or not. 


	2. Chapter 1 The Wierdness Has Begun!

Tales of the BalanceKeeper: Planetouched 1/2  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma and Dungeons & Dragons do not belong to me - if they did, I'd skip uni and go straight to retirement. But they don't, so I can't.  
  
A/N: I tried to include a bit more humour this time  
  
" " - speech  
  
' ' - character thoughts and BalanceKeeper's primary mind's thoughts  
  
[ ] - BalanceKeeper's alternate minds' thoughts  
  
* * - mental suggestion  
  
Chapter 1 - The Wierdness Has Begun!  
  
"Oh, Ranma, Akane, are you two going somewhere?" Kasumi called as she poked her head out from the kitchen. Ranma froze involuntarily, like a kid busted with his hand in the cookie jar, 'Damn, how the hell does she do that? I was makin no noise at all' before replying, "Uh yeah.", a guilty look on his face.  
  
Akane Tendo glared at Ranma when she realised that her fiance had no intention of saying anything more, so she took the iniative. "Why?"  
  
Kasumi walked over, handing Akane a grocery list, written in that flawless script of hers, "Could you pick these up for me on the way back please? I've already paid for them." "Sure, no problem Kasumi." "Oh, and Ranma, do you know where your father is? I haven't seen him all day."  
  
At the mention of his father, Ranma's face lost its guilty look, and assumed a weary one, "Yeah, Pops said he wanted to do some trainin, out in 'the harsh reality of Nature', as he put it. Guess he thought he was gettin soft, sittin around all day."  
  
"Oh my. Well, you two have fun. Bye." Kasumi said with her usual cheery smile as she headed back to the kitchen.  
  
"So Ranma, why didn't you go with him?" Akane asked as they left the Tendo Dojo. Ranma smirked, recalling the conversation that had marked the start of Genma's 'training trip', "Pops was goin on about how he wanted to get in touch with his Animal Self, like it was some mystical thing. I ain't interested in that, 'cause the last time the old man got in touch with his 'Animal Self', I got wrapped in sausages and tossed to a bunch of c-cats-s." Ranma shuddered slightly, recalling the training that had imprinted the Neko-Ken on his mind.  
  
"Maybe he's discovered a new animalism technique," Akane mused aloud, a hint of an evil grin showing on her face, "Perhaps he's discovered the secret of the legendary technique capable of defeating the Neko-Ken......"  
  
"Huh?" Ranma was confused, "The Neko-Ken's supposed to be unbeatable. What are you talkin about Akane?"  
  
"I'm talking about," Akane paused for dramatic effect - Ranma was more gullible than she thought, "the Inu-Ken!"  
  
Ranma facefaulted, and Akane kept on walking and laughing. "That wasn't funny Akane!" Ranma fumed.  
  
His efforts earned him another bout of laughter.  
  
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"Ah....". Chris (despite having earnt the title BalanceKeeper, he still thought of himself as the Prime Material-native human he had been born as) breathed deeply, basking in the rich scent of the forrest air. 'No two forrests smell alike....it's a new experience each time' [Yeah, a constant chance to revel in the smell of different rotting vegetation! Joy] 'Shut up. No-one asked you.' He shook his head, aware that it was his own damn fault that he even had multiple minds, much less opinionated ones that talked back. It was a side-effect of the Unifying ritual, the ceremony that had elevated him to the level of BalanceKeeper and awakened the full potential within him. The ceremony that he alone survived, that proved he was indeed a Master of Spiritual Dualism. The ritual that had cost seventeen other people, people he'd come to consider friends, their lives. 'No, no ... that's in the past, so leave it in the past.' [Running away from the painful memories?]. Chris frowned, 'Shut up. There are more painful ones than that.' [Yeah, like the ones that made you want to be a Planar. That's called revenge, not not-running-away] 'I know that'. Chris scowled, weary of the internal dialogue. Continuing to walk, he reached out with his will, forming a bubble of warm air around himself, encapsualed within a layer of cold air. Satisfied with the thermal bubble, he pressed on towards the closest concentration of intelligent life.  
  
Several uneventful minutes passed. Chris walked in silence, looking around, noting the various animals that were eating, or flitting from tree to tree, or practising martial arts, or... 'WHAT?!'. He stopped, looked the other way, blinked several times, and turned his gaze back to what he'd seen. About the same time, the panda that was the subject of Chris' scrutiny decided to stop practicing its kick-combination, and turned to regard its visitor.  
  
Neither one moved. The wind picked up and whistled through the trees (as it does in this sort of situation), and then died down. Neither Planar nor Panda moved.  
  
The panda took the iniative, holding up a sign, "I'm a panda." scribbled hastily on it.  
  
"Clearly." came the response. "All the pandas I know practice martial arts."  
  
The panda held up another sign, "Really?"  
  
"No, of course not - they're PANDAS!" Feeling perplexed - he was talking to a panda, after all - Chris sent out a tendril of will, touching the mind before him, and was shocked as he discovered a human consciousness. "What in the Nine Hells?...a HUMAN?"  
  
Again, the panda produced a sign, "I'm a panda." To demonstrate this point, the panda produced a ball, which it began to play with.  
  
"....this is wierd, even by my standards." With that, Chris started walking again, acutely aware of his hunger. 'Dammit, that panda slowed me down in my quest for food.'  
  
Genma-panda watched the young man walk away, then assumed the victory stance. 'That's why I'm a master of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts!' he proudly congratulated himself. He then noticed the strange looks being turned on him by all the other animals. Once more, he produced the sign, "I'm a panda." The animals collectively sweatdropped.  
  
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"Look Akane, it was NOT my fault! It's not like I ASKED for Kodachi to do any of that!", "Sure Ranma, and it really looked like you were trying to stop her too!", "Uncute tomboy!", "Pervert!" - as usual, Akane and Ranma were arguing. And, as usual, no-one else paid any attention, the denizens of Nerima very familiar (painfully in some cases) with the situation, and the non-denizen too absorbed in finding something to eat to notice.  
  
'Ucchan's Okonomiyaki....well, looks like an eatery.' [Odd name though....wonder what they serve] [Remember what happened the last time we ate strangely-named food from a different plane!] 'Hey, how was I supposed to know that in Sigil, it was possible to preserve a demon's body so it could be eaten!'. Still, the point was valid - Lemure flesh doesn't taste good, a fact Chris had learnt the hard way. So that was one option down.  
  
Walking on, Chris stumbled across another possiblity. "Hmm. Cat Cafe. Cat? Uhhhh..." [Hey, at least both words are recognisable] [And it can't hurt to ask]. With firm resolve, he opened the door to the Cat Cafe and walked in.  
  
A beautiful, cheerful young lady with long, lavander hair greeted him. "Welcome to Cat Cafe!" she said brightly, bowing as she did so. 'Wow, what a beauty.' "Ah, thank you miss," he replied, bowing in return, a bit awkwardly, "I do have a question though. You don't, serve, cat, do you?", he asked, dreading the possible response.  
  
'Aiyah! Would be bad for Shampoo if that were case!' Shampoo thought to herself, "No no, serve too-too delicious noodle dishes - ramen. Come, I show you to table." She waited for Chris to sit before asking, "Seeing is first time at Cat Cafe, would like to try house special?", "Yes please, that sounds good.", "OK, will get house special." As she turned, she called out, "Mousse, we have a customer!" Chris watched Shampoo as she went into the kitchen. [Whoo boy, now THAT's something you won't see everyday!] 'No joke. This could be interesting'. Chris looked up as a tall lad walked over to his table.   
  
"Hello sir, can I get you something to drink?" The lad's tone was weary, as though he had no energy for the task before him.  
  
"A glass of cold water would be great."  
  
"C-Cold w-water? Right away." Mousse left to fulfil the order.  
  
Chris sat back in the seat. From the casual mind-glances he'd had of some of the locals, he knew that the monetary unit here was the 'yen'. Setting himself, he summoned a wad of notes, all yen. 'Heh, no doubt some account of mine back on the Prime just got debited - banks seem to have a way of knowing these things'. Of course, he could've bluffed his way through when it came time to pay for the meal, simply 'convincing' the proprieter that he had indeed paid already. But that was a tad unbalancing, and not the sort of behaviour a Lightsider should engage in at the best of times. No matter - food was more important, after all!  
  
In the kitchen, Shampoo watched her great-grandmother Cologne prepare the house special for the latest customer. "So Shampoo, tell me about this customer." Cologne said in that slightly-knowing voice of hers. Shampoo eagerly obliged, "Well, great-grandmother, he is very tall, is polite, and too-too handsome!", "Even more so than Son-in-Law?". At this, Shampoo blushed cutely, prompting Cologne to cackle. "Just remember child - it matters not where you get your appetite, so long as you have your meal at home! Hahahaha!". She scooped the noodles into a bowl and handed it to Shampoo, who left straight away to serve the meal.  
  
Meanwhile, Chris had decided to do some more 'scanning' with his ki-sense. 'Interesting - three of those strong signatures are very close, hell, practically on top of me! I wonder....hmm, another three in the general area' [Don't forget to scan for arcane spell-flingers!] 'Fine, fine.'. Scanning with his balance-sense this time, he checked for the tell-tale reality-snarl that was characteristic of the arcane. It was with some relief that he discovered that could manipulate arcane energy were comparitively weak (at least in terms of what he was used to dealing with) and a considerable distance away.  
  
"Your meal is ready. Enjoy!" Shampoo set the bowl down in front of Chris. "I will, thank you. Oh, one other thing miss - sorry, I don't know your name,", "Is Xian Pu.", "Miss Xian Pu, are you a martial artist, by any chance?" He looked at Shampoo innocently, but he was already fairly certain. Still, it helped to be sure.  
  
"Oh yes, Shampoo is great martial artist, and Champion of Amazon tribe. Why you ask?", "Oh, you just seemed to have the natural grace of a martial artist." Chris replied with a smile. Shampoo blushed, 'Why I blushing? Many males complimented me before, so why this one different? Must be smile.' "T-thank you. Please, enjoy meal." she smiled back, and retreated back to the kitchen as fast as she could. She felt decidedly out-of-breath. Cologne simply smiled - her great-granddaughter was still so innocent.  
  
Back in the cafe proper, Chris tucked into the ramen, savouring the distinctive flavour. [So, you finally figured out what you can do with that smile, huh?], 'I knew all along what I could do with it - I just kept my ability in check. Now be quiet, I'm trying to eat.', [Yeah, yeah, right.]  
  
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"Please come back to Cat Cafe soon!". Chris smiled, "I will - that was the best meal I've had in a long time." [Why don't you tell her WHY?] 'Gee, I wonder. Think it has anything to do with the fact that it would sound like I'm CRAZY?', [....maybe.], "Until then." He waved goodbye, and went outside, donning his sunnies once more.  
  
No longer absorbed in his hunger, he became aware of the couple across the street who were arguing, and a heated argument it was too, though clearly this was the tail-end of it.  
  
"C'mon Akane, you know your cookin's lethal.". Akane saw red, "Well EXCUSE ME for not being a good cook! Why don't you just get something from SHAMPOO!" and produced a huge mallet out of nowhere. However, instead of sending Ranma into low orbit or magma-diving like she normally did, she hit him as though playing baseball. She even put topspin on him, so he went up a short bit, before having his face driven into the ground. He skidded to the Cat Cafe, finally stopping at Chris' feet.  
  
"Hey man, are you ok?" an understandably-concerned Chris asked - after all, humans typically don't come out of a mallet-encounter like that without some injuries to show for it.  
  
"I'm just fine." Or at least, that's what Ranma would've said if his voice wasn't muffled by the ground his face was get acquainted with. Taking the hand being offered, Ranma got up and dusted himself off. Chris noted, "She must be really sensitive about her cooking."  
  
Ranma snorted, "Yeah, too bad she's no good at it." Chris realised that there was an opportunity to do a good deed here. "Still, it doesn't seem to be something worth fighting about." At the same time, he planted a suggestion in Ranma's mind, *Go on - appologise to her. She just might listen*. Ranma sighed, before replying, "Maybe I should appologise, but she probably won't listen to me anyway.", "Oh, I don't know - she just might." and with that in mind, he planted a suggestion in Akane's mind, *He just might appologise - it wouldn't hurt to listen*. Ranma then noticed that Akane was indeed walking over towards him. He made his decision. "Alright, I'll appologise to her.", "Good idea. By the way, I'm Chris." Ranma took the proffered hand and shook it, "Ranma Saotome." The two young men waited for Akane to cross the street.  
  
"Ranma?" Akane had an expectant look in her eye, and Ranma seemed to pick up on it. "I'm sorry about what I said about your cooking Akane." Ranma waited for her response, eyes cast down. Akane appeared to consider his words, then smiled softly, "I forgive you Ranma." Ranma looked up and smiled as well, and then proceeded with introductions, "Akane, this is Chris. Chris, Akane.", "Pleased to meet you Akane."  
  
"You too." Akane replied. True to training, Chris quickly ki-scanned them both (Akane had, after all, pulled a mallet out of nowhere) and was surprised to learn that Ranma Saotome was the source of the strongest ki signature he could detect. 'Interesting.', [Can't you think of anything else?], 'Does Shut up count?'.  
  
Ranma's luck promptly ran out, as a passing cyclist went through a puddle, splashing Ranma thoroughly. Chris was understandably shocked, as evidenced by the sudden, "WHAT THE HELL?!" that burst forth. Ranma-chan looked at Akane, who looked back at Ranma-chan, who then both looked at Chris.  
  
"Ever heard of Jusenkyo?" Ranma-chan asked. Chris nodded in the negative. "Ok, it's like this-"  
  
"Akane Tendo, and the Pigtailed Goddess! I would grant you the honour of dating with me!"  
  
Ranma-chan and Akane both slapped their foreheads in an aggrieved fashion when they heard the speaker's voice. Chris looked in the direction where the words had originated from, and had to work hard to not laugh at the sight that greeted him.  
  
The speaker was a young man, dressed in loose-fitting pants and a dark blue top of similar make. He was also holding a bokken in his right hand. He had a proud, haughty air, and his eyes were shining - no doubt with madness.  
  
Chris looked at him, then back to the two ladies, "You know this clown?". They both nodded in the affirmative.  
  
"Clown?! And who are you knave, that you would speak with such familiarity to the beautous Akane Tendo and the fiery Pigtailed Goddess?!"  
  
"I'm-"  
  
"Hold! Is not the custom to give one's own name first? Very well, mine I shall give!"  
  
The young man assumed a pose, and began speaking in a theatrical voice.  
  
"Called the rising star of the kendo world, my speed is unmatched! My strength is limitless! I am called the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!"  
  
In keeping with the theatrical nature, a bolt of lightning chose to flash from the clouds at that moment.  
  
"Tatewaki Kuno, age 17."  
  
Chris regarded Kuno silently for a few seconds. Finally, "Uh huh. Right." [Is this guy for real?], 'Well, he doesn't seem to be joking, but it could just be the joke's not that funny.'  
  
"And? Have you nothing else to add? Will you not introduce yourself, that I might know who dares to speak so familiarly to Akane Tendo and the Pigtailed Goddess?" Kuno asked, clearly incensed.  
  
"I'm Chris."  
  
"...And?"  
  
"Have you considered counselling?", still being asked in the same dry tone.  
  
"You DARE to suggest that Tatewaki Kuno is in some way less than in control of his faculties?!" Kuno was now outraged.  
  
"Yes - you seem to be delusional."  
  
"Blue Thunder shall smite you for that!" Kuno raised his bokken in preparation to strike.  
  
"Hey Chris, are you sure you want to do this?" Ranma-chan asked in a low voice, concerned. 'I mean, it's only Kuno, but against a normal person, he's a tough opponent' Ranma-chan thought worriedly.  
  
"Um, excuse me...." Kuno looked miffed at being ignored.  
  
"Thank you for your concern, but it's not necessary. I believe I will enjoy this." Chris smiled, and assumed a defensive stance, "Any time you feel ready, Tatewaki."  
  
"Ranma," Akane whispered, "That's a-"  
  
"A Kempo stance. Yeah, you're right, Akane."  
  
"That I shall!" Kuno yelled.  
  
Chris grinned, "Bring it, human."  
  
Kuno lunged in a huge overhead strike. Chris deftly stepped forward - 'Wow, pretty fast for a human' - and planted his fist in Kuno's stomach. Before Kuno could react, he bear-pawed Kuno in the jaw, before delivering a sharp thrust kick to the chest. Kuno went flying. The impact with the ground knocked him senseless.  
  
Chris just smiled slightly, "Heheh. Pitiful." He turned around to Ranma and Akane, saying, "Well, that wasn't so hard- what?"  
  
Ranma and Akane both stood there, mute, unable to do anything but point at his head.  
  
"What, is there something in my hair?", he asked as he put his hands up to his head, "What? What? Wh-" He stopped abruptly as his hands found his ears. His _pointed_, _elongated_ ears. He then checked his mouth, especially his canines, his _pointed_, _elongated_ canines.  
  
"Hm. Bugger."  
  
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A/N: Ok, ok! I'm Australian - I was going to put 'bugger' in there somewhere! Obviously an explanation is coming up. Please review. 


	3. Chapter 2 Of Explanations and FormAlter...

Disclaimer: MWUHAHAHA!!! I DO OWN IT, I DO! But, as per my world-domination-management-plan, you just don't realise it - you think I don't own it! I own EVERYTHING! [Excuse the rants - he's completely delusional] SHUT UP!  
  
A/N: Just so you know, I didn't include the Kempo references because (in the anime) Ranma mentions going to China to learn Kempo - I included Kempo because I do actually learn Kempo. However, I'm going to refrain from actually using the names of the techniques (particularly the soft techniques) and instead just describe them in detail. Thank you in advance for your patience.  
  
" " - speech  
  
' ' - thoughts  
  
[ ] - BalanceKeeper's alternate thoughts  
  
* * - mental suggestions  
  
Tales of the BalanceKeeper: Planetouched 1/2  
  
Chapter 2 - Of Explanations and Form-Alteration  
  
"I guess I owe you an explanation...."  
  
Ranma nodded dumbly, and Akane glared at the .... person, in front of them. Said person smiled sheepishly, the elongated canines stealing the intended effect.  
  
"Ok, I make you a deal - I give you my explanation, and you," Chris pointed at Ranma-chan, "give me yours. Deal?"  
  
Again, Ranma nodded dumbly. Akane switched her glare to her fiance. 'Say something idiot!'  
  
Chris gave no indication he could pick up that stray thought, so instead he asked, "Ok, but can we go somewhere we can get a drink, as well? This could take a while."  
  
For the third time, Ranma just nodded. Dumbly. Akane felt her battle aura rising.  
  
"Ok, let's go then." Chris started off in the other direction, hoping to distract the increasingly-annoyed Akane with some physical activity.  
  
Ranma finally broke her silence, "Wait."  
  
"Hmm?" Chris looked over his shoulder. {A/N: Think Wanderer from Seiken Densetsu 3, minus the hat and dagger}  
  
"You can't walk around like that."  
  
"Hmm, indeed not. If you'll just give me a minute, I'll be presentable."  
  
Akane took this opportunity to check on Kuno - after all, it would be annoyingly troublesome if Kuno was dead. Ranma was still curious about the strange entity before her though.  
  
"Why do you need a minute?" She honestly couldn't understand the need for a minute.  
  
Chris considered what answers he could give, ranging from plucking something out of the air to the truth, and decided the truth would be more believable than anything else.  
  
"Well Ranma, I've got a few options available to me. First, I could manipulate all the minds around me into believing that I look completely normal. This is rather tiring though, and has other complications - everyone's got a different view of what's normal, and I could accidentally screw up their perception of reality permanently. Worse, I could end up doing the same to myself. And it's not really the sort of thing I feel comfortable with doing." [Of course, not the sort of behaviour an upstanding Lightsider like yourself should engage in] 'Exactly, now shut up', "Like I said though, I have another option." [Two, actually] 'Fine, two, but they don't need to know the last one' [What happened to _the truth_?] 'Oh shut up. Let me do the thinking!' [Of course, I'm overqualified for that job.] 'You are so lucky you're a necessary part of my being'.  
  
Ranma's eyes were beginning to glaze over by now. Akane, who had returned from her Kuno examination, elbowed Ranma in the ribs. The glazed look disappeared, replaced by a betrayed look which she shot at Akane. Akane was blissfully unaware. Miffed, Ranma returned her attention to the BalanceKeeper, who had started speaking again.  
  
"My other option is to force-grow - well, force-regress, as this hybrid form is my body's true form - my body back into my human form. This is not difficult to do, nor especially dangerous, but it's damn bloody painful if I do it too quickly - that's what the minute's for. Ok?"  
  
"Yeah, ok then."  
  
"Good stuff."  
  
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Five minutes later, Ranma-chan, Akane and a now-fully-human-looking BalanceKeeper were walking towards one of the non-martial-artist-owned resturants in the area. Ranma and Akane both had decided that going to Ucchan's or the Cat Cafe would be more trouble than it's worth. Chris, still unfamiliar with the situation Ranma was stuck in, decided not to argue - he was the tourist of the party, after all, and it's rude for a tourist to disagree with their local guides.  
  
They found one to their liking, and ordered their drinks.  
  
"A kettle of hot water please." This drew a puzzled look from Chris.  
  
"Peach water, please." Akane's order was a bit more standard.  
  
Chris decided to try a long shot, "Ginger Ale, if you've got it."  
  
The waitress (not unattractive, a fact lost on Ranma but which earn't him a glare from Akane anyway) confirmed their orders, "A kettle of hot water, a peach water and a ginger ale? Ok, be right back."  
  
She left, and Chris turned his attention from her back to his tablemates. "Ok, where should I start....."  
  
Ranma spoke up abruptly, "You're a martial artist, right? Kempo, if I'm not mistaken...but you've also done Karate, and that makes some of your movements a bit more blocky than they should be...." Ranma demonstrated surprising eloquence, as she often did when discussing martial arts seriously.  
  
It was a good thing their drinks hadn't arrived yet, because Chris would have choked in surprise. As it was, he did a double-take.  
  
"Yeah, that's right, on both counts...but, how did you know the styles? Are they practiced here?"  
  
Ranma nodded, and Akane elaborated, "Kempo's pretty widely practiced here."  
  
"So you two have trained in Kempo?"  
  
Ranma shook her head, "No, we both train in the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts. It's a freeform style that uses bits from other styles."  
  
Chris nodded sagely, "Sounds a lot like Kempo."  
  
"It is, but it's more too...." Ranma trailed off as she considered that.  
  
"We've both been training pretty much our entire lives, but Ranma's father is a bit more intense in his training of Ranma than my dad was." Akane said to fill the silence.  
  
"Yeah, pop's idea of a trainin trip is what got me this curse." Ranma fumed, her eloquence stolen by the thought of her father-turned-panda.  
  
"Curse?"  
  
The drinks had arrived by now, so Ranma picked up the kettle. "Let me show you." and dumped it over her head. Which shortly became _his_ head. Chris did choke this time.  
  
When he got control of his breathing again, he asked, "Curse eh? Water-based curse....interesting...."  
  
"Yeah, Pop and me were wanderin through China," [CHINA! It exists here?!] 'Would seem. Now shut up, I'm listening to Ranma.'. "when we reached this dreaded training ground called Jusenkyo....or at least, that's what we would've known if Pop could speak Chinese! Anyway, we get up on the poles there - Juseknyo's made up of cursed springs - and start sparrin. I get a good hit in, and send Pop flyin into one of them. Next thing I know, this panda flys out and knocks me into one of the springs. The guide we had explained that each spring carries a curse, and that whoever falls in will take the shape of whatever drowned in it. Pop fell into a Spring of Drowned Panda, and I fell into a Spring of Drowned Girl. So now, whenever I get hit with cold water, I turn into a girl, and hot water turns me into a guy again."  
  
[I think he means Spring of Drowned Large-Busted Red-Headed Girl, eh?], 'How about we leave it at just Girl for now.', "You mentioned that your father turns into a panda - how many others have got this curse?" [You're thinking about that panda earlier?] 'Yeah....but I'll wait a bit for that.'  
  
Ranma thought for a second, "Well, there's me, an Pop. And there's Pantyhose Tauro..." Chris sweatdropped at the name, [What kind of parent calls their kid Pantyhose?!], 'A parent I'm intensely glad is not mine.', "and there's Ryogaaaa, uh, uh..." at this point Ranma suddently remembered Akane was right next to him.  
  
Akane just waved it off, "I've known for a while Ranma - I'm just waiting for him to admit it himself."  
  
'Wow, she's pretty calm about it' Ranma thought - and it must've shown on his face, because she suddenly smiled sweetly, saying "_Then_ I will beat the daylights out of the pigboy."  
  
Ranma snickered as the image of Akane belting Ryoga half to death came to mind. Sobering a bit, he continued, "And Shampoo. And Mousse too. Yeah, that's all of them."  
  
Chris was shocked - that gorgeous young woman he'd met earlier carried a curse similar to Ranma? Potentially kinky, especially if she had the female equivalent of Ranma's curse.. [No, that's not kinky, that's TWISTED!!], 'True, true...hopefully though, she changes into something else.' He snapped out of his musing as he noticed a familiar young man enter the resturant.  
  
"Mousse? Tallish lad, long black hair, thick glasses, truly odd outfit that allows him to hide his hands up his sleeves?" Chris asked mildly.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Because he just walked in."  
  
Ranma spun around and almost fell out of his seat when he saw Mousse right behind him. Mousse smiled humourlessly at his reaction. His voice was low, even and menacing. It seemed to have lost its occasional high-pitch lately.  
  
"Don't worry Saotome, I'm not here for you. I'm here for him." he pointed at the still-drinking BalanceKeeper.  
  
Finishing his drink, Chris regarded the outwardly-calm young man before him. [Yeah, he's calm on the outside, but he could flash boil water with that anger inside] 'You think I don't know that? Just gotta try to calm him down', [Good luck].  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Because I will not allow you to take Shampoo away from me!" Mousse suddenly exploded, jumping back from the table, his hands disappearing into the folds of his robes. Chris decided to be reasonable.  
  
"Shampoo? Oh yes, Xian Pu. Lovely girl. But Mousse, I wouldn't take anyone away from anyone - it's her choice after all, isn't it?" He paused here, but when he saw the looks on both Ranma and Akane's faces, he realised that it might not be the case. Resolutely, he continued onward, "Besides, I only just arrived here - how was I to know she's taken?" He let an edge bleed into his voice now, "And if you think that attacking me will change things in your favour, boy...you're sadly mistaken."  
  
Ranma whispered across the table, "Careful - Mousse is a lot more dangerous than Kuno. He's a Master of Hidden Weapons."  
  
"Ah. Doesn't make a difference though," he turned his attention back to Mousse, "if you attack me Mousse, you won't like the results - I assure you of this." For good effect (and because he didn't have his sunglasses on) Chris let his eyes flash completely red for a moment, before resuming their usual grey colour.  
  
Mousse faltered at this, and Chris grinned - he knew he'd won this one. *Go on - back down*  
  
Finally, Mousse removed his hands from his robes, empty, and muttered, "Fine, I'll let it go for now."  
  
"Good choice human. You may leave now." Chris affected an imperious tone.  
  
Mousse walked out, managing to salvage some of his dignity in the process. Of course, he didn't have his glasses on, so any dignity salvaged was promptly lost as he managed to walk into the sliding glass doors. Chris shook his head and turned his gaze back to his tablemates. Both were, once again, staring at him.  
  
[Duh...I would too, if I didn't know any better.], 'Oh yeah, the eyes thing - I haven't told them yet', "Hmm, something more for me to explain, eh?"  
  
Ranma nodded dumbly.  
  
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A/N: ARGH! I have now gotten Writer's Block! How do I explain this without it being entirely cliched! I have no idea. I'll think of something. Please Review! Or flame, if you really feel the need to. Constructive criticism would be better though. [Stop rambling already!], 'Shut up!' 


	4. Chapter 3 The Past is the Foundation of...

Disclaimer: Oh for the love of it all....you still need one of these damn things? [Well, given your last disclaimer....] Shut up! That was quite clearly me exercising my world-dominating parody-of-self! Fine, fine. I don't own it. Except one thing. That one thing is something not owned by anyone else. Sue me not, lest ye receive ye share of nothing!  
  
A/N: [The story so far: Big Shock; ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha; Banyai!; hyuu hyuu don don don don hyuu hyuu don don don don] 'That is not the story so far!' [Oh, so am I the idiot then?] 'Yes dammit!' [So shhooocckkkked] 'Shut up! Tell the readers useless information in-story, not in the Author's Notes!' [Hmm, shouldn't take your job from you, should I?] 'Exactly....Hey, wait a second here dammit!' [ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha] 'I am going to kill it....slowly.' Ahem. Anyway, a bit of background on the BalanceKeeper in this chapter.  
  
" " - speech  
  
' ' - thoughts  
  
[ ] - BalanceKeeper's alternate mind's thoughts  
  
* * - mental suggestion  
  
~ ~ - flashback (~~ signifies the start/end of the entire flashback sequence)  
  
Tales of the BalanceKeeper: Planetouched 1/2  
  
Chapter 3 - the Past is the Foundation of the Future  
  
"I guess you've figured out by now that I'm not human?" Both Akane and Ranma nodded. Chris continued, "Well, at least not completely human - there's still some left in me. Roughly half." The last two words sounded self-deprecating, and in a sense they were - Chris occassionally regretted giving up his human ability to focus on one side of the 'truth' or the other, the ability to choose a side for good, rather than being the eternal fencesitter. "In order for me to explain, I'll have to tell you about the concept of the Planes. This isn't an easy concept to grasp - but if you're up to it, I think you'll find it rather interesting. Think you're up to it?"  
  
Akane looked at Ranma. Ranma looked at Akane. The waitress arrived at the table, then went off to get another Ginger Ale for Chris. If there had been trees inside the restaurant, the wind would've blown briefly. The waitress returned with the Ginger Ale.  
  
Ranma and Akane seemed to reach a decision about then, turning their heads and stating in unison, "We're up to it."  
  
"Good. It's refreshing to find people who are interested in the truth - most are just content to believe I'm some celestial being's avatar. But I digress....to the concept."  
  
He took a long drink, settling himself for what would inevitably be a long session.  
  
"This place where we exist right now is known as a Plane - a Material Plane. That is, it possess characteristics like gravity, relativity, temporal linearity, quantifiable electromagnetics - something that humans tend to arrogantly call 'normal'. There are many Planes - this one is just one of many. The Planes are divided typically into three categories: The Inner Planes; the Middle Planes {A/N: Maybe that's why Tolkien called it Middle Earth, eh?}; and the Outer Planes."  
  
"This is one of the Middle Planes, and is the most common type of plane a plane-travellar is likely to come across. I'm from a Middle Plane, what is known as the Prime Material. Apparently, it's called that because it was the first Material plane that came into existance Balance-knows how long ago. Another Middle Plane is the Ethereal Plane."  
  
Chris concentrated briefly, scanning for the faint outlines of the Ethereal occassionally visible to his balance-sense. He found none.  
  
"The Ethereal Plane, as best I can tell, is almost exclusively accessible from the Prime Material - its landscape mirrors the Prime Material for the most part, but it lacks a few aspects of a Material, mostly relativity and temporal linearity. Something planeshifted to the Ethereal tends to look ghostlike, and I've heard some rumors about it being the source of ghosts and the like, but that's utter crap as best I've found."  
  
"Another one of the Middle Planes is the Astral Plane. You might have heard some spirit mediums going on about astral selves and all that. The Astral Plane is like the planar hub - all planes are connected to each other via the Astral. At least, that's what I've been told - I've never actually used the Astral for planeshifting, but I'm one of the wierd cases...anyways."  
  
He paused here, both to take a drink and to see if his listeners had kept up.  
  
"You still with me so far?"  
  
Ranma blinked a bit, digesting the information carefully, and Akane nodded eagerly - she was soaking all of this up like a sponge.  
  
"Ok then, I guess I'll move onto the Inner Planes."  
  
"The Inner Planes are the primal planes - they tend to contain primal energies and forces. They are damn dangerous for outsiders to visit. The two energy planes are Inner Planes - the Positive Energy Plane and the Negative Energy Plane. The Positive Energy Plane is typically associated with 'goodness', because it can be channelled through a gap to heal living creatures, and even ressurrect dead creatures. The Negative Energy Plane is effectively the opposite - it harms and kills living creatures, and is the source of death. Don't get me wrong - neither one is inherently good or evil, and positive energy can be used for evil purposes just like negative energy can be used for good purposes, but most creatures tend to think of positive energy as 'good' and negative energy as 'bad'."  
  
"The Elemental Planes are also Inner Planes - the Planes of Air, Earth, Fire and Water respectively. Each plane is composed, entirely, of the element it's named for, and it's almost impossible for a non-elemental to survive a jaunt through an Elemental Plane. Still, their influence is felt and needed throughout the Planes. I know I'd sure be in a rough spot without them!"  
  
"Other planes, like the Plane of Pandemodium, exist somewhere between the Inner Planes and the Middle Planes - they embody concepts, rather than primal forces and energies, though some argue that their influence is widely-enough felt to be considered a primal force."  
  
He paused again - all this talking was making his throat dry. He drained the can before continuing.  
  
"The Outer Planes....I trust you're both familiar with the concept of the soul? You should be, or at least in terms of ki, the physical manifestation of the soul."  
  
Akane nodded, and Ranma - sensing a chance to demonstrate his own considerable ability - projected a ki-aura. Chris nodded.  
  
"Ok. The Outer Planes are where the souls of the dead go - some religions call it heaven or paradise, and some call it hell. I don't know about the paradise part - as a living creature, it's not possible to venture into the 'afterlife' - something about the presence of life energy disrupts the balance, and if the source of the disruption is not ejected, the resonance created could conceivably destroy all of the Planes - but I _do_ know it's not hell. Two hellish Outer Planes exist though - the Abyss, home of demons, and the Nine Hells, home of devils. Whatever you do, don't confuse the two - Abyssal and Infernal creatures do not get on well, and have been having some sort of feud for as long as any can remember. The demons, or tan'aari, are fairly chaotic little buggers, and have to be bound if they're summoned - a summoned, unbound tan'aari will typically kill the summoner and anything else it comes across, but a bound one can be very useful. The devils, or baatezu, in contrast, are actually quite mindful of the laws they've set for themselves, and rarely attack when summoned, bound or not. Of course, they're more cunning little bastards, and a dealing with a baatezu who is not indebted to you is a very easy way to get your soul bought. They honour their debts though, and a carefully-worded agreement can shield you from their scheming, but I've found it best not to risk it."  
  
He smiled as he recalled some of the 'deals' he'd made with a few baatezu....  
  
~~The baatezu in front of him cackled, a thoroughly unpleasant sound. The BalanceKeeper's sensitive ears twitched - he had abandoned his human shape for the dealing, as the more he could intimidate the devil, the better - but he said nothing. His cloak - split down the middle to allow more mobility - swayed slightly in a non-existant breeze, his grey eyes glowing brightly, a non-subtle display of power. The baatezu began jabbering.~  
  
~"Yes, yes, an infernal blade you wish? Do this I can, easy, but a cost there is, yes? Know this cost you do, yes?"~  
  
~The BalanceKeeper nodded slowly, demonstrating that he was dictating the pace of the conversation. "Of course I know the price - this is hardly the first dealing I've had with your kind." He smirked here, showing contempt - the baatezu were an egotistical lot, proud of their rules that seperated them from the tan'aari, and reacted predictably to attacks on their pride. This one was no different.~  
  
~"Gah! Show respect human! Grateful you should be, yes, that even _consider_ your request I did! Grateful, human! Show ..-"~  
  
~The baatezu abruptly cut off as the BalanceKeeper merged light and darkness into a shadowy extension of his arm, and used it to grasp the devil's neck. A grin appeared on his face, revealling his sharp canines. "You should appreciate your situation better baatezu - the fact that you think me human despite my appearance shows how little you understand. Having you fulfil my request is simply a matter of convenience for me. You should be grateful I had the kind-heartedness to ask, rather than simply take. Don't push your luck though - that merciful inclination is fickle, and may dissappear altogether. So for your own benefit, cease your blabbering and fulfil my request!" He let a small measure of anger bleed into his voice, and released his shadowy grip. The baatezu struggled to regain its composure.~  
  
~"Fine. Sword is yours, yes. Take, and be ready to pay price, yes." A small curved blade, black as the void yet somehow still reflective, appeared before the BalanceKeeper. He reached out for it....~  
  
~The soul-tendrils rose up around his body as his hand closed on the handle. Without a second thought, he lashed out with the shadowy power of forces balanced, wiping the little devil from existance. The soul-tendrils evaporated.~  
  
~"Fool. Not only did you fail to soul-bind me, but your attempt came after fulfilling my request...I ripped you off twice in that deal...."~~  
  
Coming out of his memory-trance, he noticed the annoyed looks being directed his way. "Eh sorry, got a bit caught up. Anyways...yeah, there's one more set of Outer Planes."  
  
"The final lot of the Outer Planes are known as celestial planes, or planes where deities reside. Some religions refer to them as Planes of Brilliance. Unlike the two hellish, it's not possible for a mortal to enter a celestial plane without the acceptance of at least one of the deities that reside in it. Given that most deities don't give a damn about what happens outside of their plane, it's unlikely for a mortal to be granted enterance."  
  
He sat back, a bit tired from his long-winded explanation. Looking up, he saw Ranma and Akane lean back in their seats.  
  
"That's a pretty brief overview of the concept of the Planes, and there's probably some errors in it to boot - there's still a lot of stuff regarding the Planes that I'm not sure about. But you're both no doubt wondering what all this has to do with me, eh?"  
  
Akane managed to find her voice, "Yeah, how does it relate to you?"  
  
"Fair question. Being a BalanceKeeper revolves around the concept of neutrality, or balance - up and down, left and right, high and low, light and dark. Most previous BalanceKeepers defined their key duality - that is, the aspect of themselves that would define their concept of keeping the balance - to be the good/evil duality, and to this end, they typically bound their essence with aspects of both the Positive Energy and Negative Energy Planes."  
  
Ranma spoke up, "But you didn't, right?"  
  
Chris nodded, "Yeah, I thought that the good/evil thing was a bit restrictive, so I chose the morally-ambigious light/dark duality. There's a whole philosophy to it, but the basic flow of it is light and darkness merged yields shadow - you can't have a shadow without light, and a shadow is darkness, therefore, it is of both. And so, I bound my essence with an aspect of the Plane of Shadow, another Inner Plane. I draw most of my ability from my bond to the Plane of Shadow."  
  
Ability? Now Ranma's curiousity was piqued. "What other abilities do you have?"  
  
Chris smiled dryly - they always asked this one, "You mean, besides the ear and teeth thing, the incredible speed, co-ordination, strength and the mental projection?"  
  
Ranma nodded eagerly, "Yeah, besides all that."  
  
Chris laughed, "Not much more, actually. I can manipulate dualities of things that exist, the duality being real, theoretical, symbolic or even wholly unexistant - so long as I can find some aspect of duality to something, I can manipulate it. Of course, I have to keep both ends of said duality balanced - if one side is manipulated, the other side must also be. Failing to do that literally drains my life essence. Not permanently, thankfully, but enough that I need a good meal and a long sleep to restore myself. There are several techniques I know based on the manipulation of one's key duality - their use is very similar to ki-projection, and are an adequate substitute."   
  
[Not going to tell them about the Split Image technique? Or the ShadowMeld?] 'Ah, no. First off, I think they've endured enough wierdness for one day {A/N: Bah, all in a day's work for Ranma! :D}. Two, they're secret techniques, third, I've done enough talking!' [You are such a damn wimp!] 'Says one who typically doesn't have a body!' [Well, maybe if you performed the Split Image more often, I'd know why you're complaining!] '....hmm, plus, the voices _would_ have a throat that can be strangled....' [Don't start that again...]  
  
Ranma processed this information, mulling over the various possibilities. Akane seemed to grasp the implications immediately, "So, you can't actually project ki?"  
  
Chris shook his head, "Nope. I can sense it, and at long distances too, but I have practically no ability to project it. The few times I tried was met with nothing - not a spark, not a glow, nothing. And, again, this seems to be something that all BalanceKeepers are affected by. My theory is, that in forcing ourselves to become Planetouched - creatures whose heritage can be traced to at least two different planes, which we achieve by binding ourselves to another plane, often very different to our native plane - a fundamental aspect of our soul is changed, and I think that aspect is the ability to feel that something is absolutely right or wrong. I mean, Ranma, there are some things you hold to be absolutely true, right? Something fundamentally true about how you do things, right?"  
  
Ranma nodded vigorously, "Yeah, my Moko Takabisha is based on my confidence. If I don't have absolute confidence in myself, it just won't work, no matter how hard I try."  
  
"That's what I mean - the nature of balancing is to see both sides. I can't have a one-sided view, like, I can't have absolute confidence in myself - I have to allow for the possibility of failure, however minute it might be. I can't be absolutely convinced that one side is right and the other is wrong. I think that's why I - and all the previous BalanceKeepers - aren't able to project their ki."  
  
Chris paused, checking his watch out of habit. Of course, it didn't help him much - temporality was not maintained between Planes.  
  
"Uh, just wondering...what sort of, timekeeping, system do you have here?"  
  
Akane helpfully offered, "We use a 24-hour day system."  
  
[24 hours...what do you know, same as the Prime.] 'Yeah, there are a _damn_ lot of similarities to the Prime. I wonder....' [What?] '...could the Prime have splintered?' [How?] 'No idea. But it would certainly explain the similarities....' [Kangaxx?] 'Maybe....but we should have picked up any increases in disturbances, particularly Negative Energy perversions....' [Task at hand, task at hand - reset watch to local time] 'Right, right.' [Worry about planar-disturbance possibility later, change the watch now.] 'Alright already!'  
  
"24 hours? 1 hour is 60 minutes, 1 minute is 60 seconds?"  
  
Akane nodded.  
  
"Cool, my watch is not rendered useless for once. What's the time right now?"  
  
Akane checked her watch, as Ranma had never bothered to invest in one, "It's 1825 right now."  
  
Chris reset his watch, and looked outside, "Damn, dark already? Bugger it all...." [Yeah, we still don't know where we're going to stay, do we?] 'No, dammit....' "Well, I guess I have to get going - gotta find some place to stay."  
  
Ranma's mind ticked over again, and he tapped Akane on the shoulder, "Hey, Akane. Could he stay with us? I mean, at your place, it's not ours yet...."  
  
Chris held up his hands, "No no, I can't impose on you like that ..-"  
  
Akane was firm, "It's OK, even if you don't stay, at least join us for dinner. Kasumi's cooking, and..." she suddenly remembered _why_ she and Ranma were out today, "Ranma! We forgot to get the shopping for Kasumi!"  
  
"Huh? We did?"  
  
"Yes dummy! We don't have any with us, do we?"  
  
"Good point, I guess..." Ranma didn't look convinced.  
  
"Anyway, please join us for dinner. We just have to make a short stop first."  
  
Chris pondered - he wasn't actually that hungry. But it wouldn't do to be rude. "OK, I'll join you and your family for dinner."  
  
"Great! We have to go now though. C'mon, c'mon!" Akane dropped some change on the table for the drinks, and practically dragged Ranma after her. Chris shrugged, and followed after them.  
  
[And so the first adventure truly begins - shopping!] 'Did you have to phrase it that way?' [Yes.] 'Figures...' [Off to the shops we go, off to the shops we go!] 'My voices have no throat and I must, no, _WILL_ strangle them....'  
  
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A/N: There - another chapter finished. Remember that first disclaimer or author's note I made, about how I do computer D&D, and I don't have a handbook? Well, this sort of chapter is what that's referring to! I guessed half the plane stuff and improvised the rest. Diehards, flame me if you must, but it would be better if you just gave constructive critisism. [Rambling, rambling again.] 'Shut up!'....voices without throats that I must strangle, oh yes. Review! I command it! ....please? I need reviews. 


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